Diana Taurasi, who the late Kobe Bryant nicknamed the White Mamba, is on the verge of retirement. Diana Taurasi, the WNBA’s all-time leading scorer with 10,624 points in 563 games, has been a force of nature for the Phoenix Mercury. If you need a comparison, Tina Charles, second to Taurasi in the all-time scoring ranks, is nearly 3000 points short of her. At 42, even though age doesn’t seem to catch up to the Mercury guard, Taurasi has issued a disappointing retirement update for her fans.

A week ago, the Mercury sent WNBA fans into a frenzy. With Diana Taurasi’s WNBA future an open question, their social media post dedicated to her hinted at this being her last season. The caption read, “The winner-take-all games. The buzzer beaters. The logo threes. If this is it … there are two more home games remaining to see the greatest shooter in league history take the court.”

Since then, speculation has been rife, and ahead of Mercury’s last home game against the Seattle Storm, she has finally addressed the matter. “You know, I don’t know,” she said about her retirement, as per Desert Wave Media. “The last couple of weeks have been a little nerve-racking for myself. I don’t want to make any emotional, rash decisions.” However, it was Taurasi’s next statement that was shocking.

https://twitter.com/DesertWaveCo/status/1836289087025848698

“I know the end is near,” the 3x WNBA champ emphasized. “When that is, I don’t know. I’ve always been a person that concentrates on what’s next, and that’s practice tomorrow and Seattle on Thursday. I guess when the season is over, I’ll reflect and I’ll get advice from the people that are close to my heart and have been with me since day one. So you never know, but who knows?” Taurasi concluded.

If the 11x All-Star retires after this season, it’ll mark the end of an era in the WNBA. The only fitting farewell for her would be for the Mercury to lift the championship trophy and end the 10-year drought. Can they do it? Nobody knows. But is she still as determined as ever? Heck yes.

Diana Taurasi makes a promising declaration for Phoenix Mercury’s loyal fans

In addition to her WNBA exploits, Diana Taurasi is also the most successful USA women’s basketball Olympian with 6 gold medals, the last of which came at the Paris Olympics this year. Though her 2024 WNBA statistics are lower than her career averages, her shooting hasn’t gone stale. This takes us back to Taurasi’s older statement.

“I’ll let you guys know when I’m done because you’re not gonna see me anymore,” Taurasi told ESPN in 2022. “When I’m done playing, I’m just going to stop playing. I’m not going to ease my way out. I want to play, and when I suck, I won’t play.” Well, though the Mercury has a reliable shooter in Sophie Cunningham, Taurasi doesn’t ‘suck’ yet.

As they return to the playoffs after a 1-year absence, Taurasi wants to revive the team. On Friday at the Footprint Center, at the end of a ceremony to honor the 2014 championship-winning players, of whom she and center Brittney Griner are still active, she made a succinct promise to the fans. “Let’s do it again,” she said about repeating their 2014 victory this year.

But the road to her 4th championship won’t be easy. Defending champs Las Vegas Aces look more fierce than ever and A’ja Wilson is at her best. With Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever newly into the mix, a rollercoaster awaits us. Will Diana Taurasi end her WNBA career on a high?